scholarly journals The impact of the 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreak in Liberia on parent preferences for harsh discipline practices: a quasi-experimental, pre-post design

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Green ◽  
Rhea M Chase ◽  
John Zayzay ◽  
Amy Finnegan ◽  
Eve S. Puffer
Keyword(s):  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
Harsh Discipline ◽  
Comic Strips ◽  
Discipline Practices ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Impact

Background.This paper uses data from a cohort of parents and guardians of young children living in Monrovia, Liberia collected before and after the 2014 outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) to estimate the impact of EVD exposure on implicit preferences for harsh discipline. We hypothesized that parents exposed to EVD-related sickness or death would exhibit a stronger preference for harsh discipline practices compared with non-exposed parents.Methods.The data for this analysis come from two survey rounds conducted in Liberia as part of an intervention trial of a behavioral parenting skills intervention. Following a baseline assessment of 201 enrolled parents in July 2014, all program and study activities were halted due to the outbreak of EVD. Following the EVD crisis, we conducted a tracking survey with parents who completed the baseline survey 12 months prior. In both rounds, we presented parents with 12 digital comic strips of a child misbehaving and asked them to indicate how they would react if they were the parent in the stories.Results.Parents from households with reported EVD sickness or death became more ‘harsh’ (Glass's delta = 1.41) in their hypothetical decision-making compared with non-exposed parents,t(167)=−2.3,p  <  0.05. Parents from households that experienced EVD-related sickness or death not only reported significantly more household conflict and anxiety, but also reported that their child exhibited fewer difficulties.Conclusions.Results support the need for family-based interventions, including strategies to help parents learn alternatives to harsh punishment.

scholarly journals The impact of active surveillance and health education on an Ebola virus disease cluster — Kono District, Sierra Leone, 2014–2015

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tasha Stehling-Ariza ◽  
Alexander Rosewell ◽  
Sahr A. Moiba ◽  
Brima Berthalomew Yorpie ◽  
Kai David Ndomaina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Active Surveillance ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Disease Cluster ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Kono District

scholarly journals Transmission dynamics of Ebola virus disease and intervention effectiveness in Sierra Leone

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (16) ◽  
pp. 4488-4493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Qun Fang ◽  
Yang Yang ◽  
Jia-Fu Jiang ◽  
Hong-Wu Yao ◽  
David Kargbo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Atmospheric Temperature ◽  
Transmission Dynamics ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Household Transmission ◽  
Secondary Infections ◽  
The Impact

Sierra Leone is the most severely affected country by an unprecedented outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa. Although successfully contained, the transmission dynamics of EVD and the impact of interventions in the country remain unclear. We established a database of confirmed and suspected EVD cases from May 2014 to September 2015 in Sierra Leone and mapped the spatiotemporal distribution of cases at the chiefdom level. A Poisson transmission model revealed that the transmissibility at the chiefdom level, estimated as the average number of secondary infections caused by a patient per week, was reduced by 43% [95% confidence interval (CI): 30%, 52%] after October 2014, when the strategic plan of the United Nations Mission for Emergency Ebola Response was initiated, and by 65% (95% CI: 57%, 71%) after the end of December 2014, when 100% case isolation and safe burials were essentially achieved, both compared with before October 2014. Population density, proximity to Ebola treatment centers, cropland coverage, and atmospheric temperature were associated with EVD transmission. The household secondary attack rate (SAR) was estimated to be 0.059 (95% CI: 0.050, 0.070) for the overall outbreak. The household SAR was reduced by 82%, from 0.093 to 0.017, after the nationwide campaign to achieve 100% case isolation and safe burials had been conducted. This study provides a complete overview of the transmission dynamics of the 2014−2015 EVD outbreak in Sierra Leone at both chiefdom and household levels. The interventions implemented in Sierra Leone seem effective in containing the epidemic, particularly in interrupting household transmission.

scholarly journals A Process Description of Playing to Live! A Community Psychosocial Arts Program During Ebola

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Alexis Decosimo ◽  
Jessi E Hanson ◽  
Catherine Reilly Boland ◽  
Deborah Slawson ◽  
Mary Ann Littleton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Expressive Arts ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Expressive Arts Therapy ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Community Program ◽  
The Impact

From 2014 to 2015, Liberia experienced the largest Ebola epidemic in world history. The impact of this disease was not only physical; it created fear, loss, and trauma throughout the country. This article will describe the process of three phases of a community-based psychosocial expressive arts program, which used theory from the fields of expressive arts therapy to build mental health capacity during and after the epidemic. This article will highlight the background of Ebola virus disease and the Ebola virus disease epidemic, provide an overview of current theory and research for expressive arts therapy and the impact of trauma, describe the process of how the program developed and was implemented, the process of partnering with the community, program components, the two pilot programs, and the large-scale community program. We performed a mixed-methods analysis of the large-scale program’s activity data to evaluate the impact. The results highlight a positive response from the participating children and facilitators. The authors discuss the findings from the results, best practices, and limitations. Additionally, the authors discuss implications and considerations for future programming.

Modeling the impact of migrated population on human-to-human transmission of Ebola virus disease

2018 ◽  
Vol 09 (01) ◽  
pp. 1850008
Author(s):  
Abhinav Tandon ◽  
Sankha Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Disease Model ◽  
Critical Values ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
Contact Rates ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Time Required ◽  
The Impact

A nonlinear SEIR mathematical model is developed to investigate the impact of migrated population, infected with Ebola virus, on human-to-human transmission of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in a disease-free area. In view of the dynamics of Ebola virus disease, here, the infected class is supposed to be divided into subclasses, viz. primary and secondary infected. The proposed model is analyzed qualitatively using the stability theory of differential equations and quantitatively using numerical simulation. The obtained results, qualitatively and quantitatively, suggest that migration and contact rates play an important role in controlling the spreading of disease. Critical values for migration and contact rates are evaluated and it is revealed that if these rates go beyond their critical values, it leads to delay in the stabilization of the system. It is also found that primary reproductive number increases with increase in migration rate. Besides this, the approximate time required to attain stability of the disease model system is also determined. The model analysis recommends quarantining the noninfected from the secondary infected in order to control the spreading out of disease.

scholarly journals The impact of malaria coinfection on Ebola virus disease outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251101
Author(s):  
Hannah M. Edwards ◽  
Helen Counihan ◽  
Craig Bonnington ◽  
Jane Achan ◽  
Prudence Hamade ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
The Body ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Introduction Viral outbreaks present a particular challenge in countries in Africa where there is already a high incidence of other infectious diseases, including malaria which can alter immune responses to secondary infection. Ebola virus disease (EVD) is one such problem; understanding how Plasmodium spp. and Ebolavirus (EBOV) interact is important for future outbreaks. Methods We conducted a systematic review in PubMed and Web of Science to find peer-reviewed papers with primary data literature to determine 1) prevalence of EBOV/Plasmodium spp. coinfection, 2) effect of EBOV/Plasmodium spp. coinfection on EVD pathology and the immune response, 3) impact of EBOV/Plasmodium spp. coinfection on the outcome of EVD-related mortality. Random effects meta-analyses were conducted with the R package meta to produce overall proportion and effect estimates as well as measure between-study heterogeneity. Results From 322 peer-reviewed papers, 17 were included in the qualitative review and nine were included in a meta-analysis. Prevalence of coinfection was between 19% and 72%. One study reported significantly lower coagulatory response biomarkers in coinfected cases but no difference in inflammatory markers. Case fatality rates were similar between EBOV(+)/Pl(+) and EBOV(+)/Pl(-) cases (62.8%, 95% CI 49.3–74.6 and 56.7%, 95% CI 53.2–60.1, respectively), and there was no significant difference in risk of mortality (RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.90–1.31) although heterogeneity between studies was high. One in vivo mouse model laboratory study found no difference in mortality by infection status, but another found prior acute Plasmodium yoeli infection was protective against morbidity and mortality via the IFN-γ signalling pathway. Conclusion The literature was inconclusive; studies varied widely and there was little attempt to adjust for confounding variables. Laboratory studies may present the best option to answer how pathogens interact within the body but improvement in data collection and analysis and in diagnostic methods would aid patient studies in the future.

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